Monday June 11, miles today 0, miles from Springer 164.4

After a leisurely breakfast, several cups of coffee and updates to the blog we went down to the General Store/ laundry/ Post Office for resupply.  I picked up my supply box, sold some food to the guys and then went into the general store to buy candy bars and other overpriced supplies to get us through four days until we resupply again in Gatlinburg.

Resupply, Hellcat, Major Tom, Obi-Wan, and Path, June 11, 2018

My recalibration is going well though different than I expected.  I have become the social director for our group.  I find myself taking interest in most people.  This morning a woman was shaping plants on an arbor by the swimming pool.  I complimented her on the plants she was working on.  She told me how the flowering vines would grow all Summer and soon cover the entire arbor.  She then showed me the other parts of her garden.  The odd thing was I was genuinely interested.  I have never been like this my entire life.  It turns out she is the assistant manager to the facility and the garden is her hobby.  It can really pay to be genuinely interested.

Another responsibility is to figure out trail names for hikers that don't have one.  All the names in this blog are either a real first name or their trail name.  The trail names are a lot more fun.  Once the older Mike goes back to Phoenix I will figure out a name for the younger one.

We spent most of the afternoon lounging around and taking advantage of the amenities of the resort.  In the evening after dinner we did any last minute cleaning of our equipment, packed our backpacks and reviewed our maps and guides.  Tomorrow we start the trek through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Obi-Wan and Hellcat taking advantage of the amenities,
 June 11, 2018